(Newser)
–
Probably the most talked-about political story of the day comes courtesy of Newsweek, where reporter Kurt Eichenwald details Donald Trump's intricate business ties with foreign businessmen, governments, "and even criminals" via his Trump Organization. With deals in nations such as Russia, Turkey, India, and Saudi Arabia, Eichenwald writes that conflicts of interest regarding national security would be impossible to avoid, even with Trump's plan to put the business in a blind trust and turn it over to his kids. He concludes that the only way to avoid what he calls "legal bribery" is for the entire Trump family to sever itself from the sprawling Trump Organization if the candidate wins in November. Among other things, he notes that the organization has trademarked the Trump name for branding projects in Russia.

"Never before has an American candidate for president had so many financial ties with American allies and enemies, and never before has a business posed such a threat to the United States," writes Eichenwald, who concludes with this jarring line: "If Donald Trump wins this election and his company is not immediately shut down or forever severed from the Trump family, the foreign policy of the United States of America could well be for sale." Click for the full investigative piece. Meanwhile, former campaign-official turned-CNN-talking-head Corey Lewandowski blasted both Eichenwald's credibility and the entire premise of the story, notes Politico. "Do his children continue to run a $10 billion corporation that their father has built?" he asked. "Absolutely they do. Why wouldn’t they?"